Always Have A Choice
by Harmony'sLoveHP
Summary: "Yeah, I guess, since it's not like I have a choice." "Everyone has a choice, partner. You just think you don't," Keith replied and walked towards the door. Natalie frowned. He was one weird boy. I am so sorry that I have not updated this! I will try and update soon!
1. Joy Ride

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KEITH.**

Joy Ride

Keith sat across the water, watching the partygoers. He wasn't sure if they should be partygoers or what they really should be called. He gave them that name because it was the easiest way to classify them. It gave them a name and a status: popular. That was something he seemed not to be. He didn't seem to want it, either.

Keith picked up a flat rock and skipped it across the water before standing. He brushed off his jeans and shoved his hands into his pockets only to pull them back out. He turned the bottle of anti-depressant pills over in his hand. He didn't consider himself depressed, but apparently Al and the doctors did. Whatever. Let them think what they wanted to. It was a free country, after all.

He put the pills back in his pocket and turned towards his yellow truck. He paused for a moment, just looking at the truck. He really loved that old thing. He'd put a lot of time and energy into it. Besides, it was his only escape from reality. It kept him semi-tame, calm, non-crazy, whatever you wanted to call it.

He opened the door to the truck and climbed in. He didn't have plans to go home. It was just him and his dad since his mom died. He tried to stay away from home. It was…boring, to say the least. At least, to him it was.

He didn't know where to go, though. He wasn't welcomed at the Brick. He'd end up doing what he always did: just driving around town. He had no specific location in mind, he never did anyways. If he was lucky, maybe he would meet Natalie somewhere. If he was lucky.

Natalie found herself at the place she had least expected: sitting in a garage watching Keith work on his truck. He creeped her out sometimes, with the way he acted and all. Sometimes she really did believe he was a freak and crazy like everyone else claimed for him to be. But, sometimes, she just thought that all he needed was a friend. That all he needed was someone he could count on.

So, she always found herself as his friend. She didn't know why she was chosen to play the role; just that someone decided she would. She wanted to know who that had been. She wasn't too thrilled about the fact that he was weird and Raf thought she was cheating on him for Keith. She could quickly deny they were. They most definitely were not.

"You want to go do something?" Keith asked as he looked up from being bent over the engine.

"No, this is fine unless you want to go do something," Natalie replied as she looked up from staring at the ground. Keith nodded slowly, wiping his hands on a rag before closing the hood.

"Come on, I have an idea," Keith replied. She frowned, half curious and half afraid of what he had come up with now.

"Um, okay, then," she replied and brushed off her pants as she stood.

"Vamos, amiga," Keith said as he opened the garage door.

Natalie silently got in and waited for Keith. She watched him cautiously out of the corner of her eye. She watched him start the engine and put the yellow truck into gear. Next thing she knew, they were safely on the road. She didn't doubt that he wasn't a bad driver, but she didn't trust that he was sane.

She was curious as to where they were going. Bowling? Lunch in a private office? She hoped it was something legal. Duke would reject her if she got an arrest on her permanent record. So far she had a clean slate and intended to leave it that way.

Keith glanced at Natalie. He wished she would loosen up. It was one of his better days, after all. Surely that should have given her some reassurance. Then again, she more than likely didn't know his secret. He intended on keeping it a secret, too, at least from her.

Keith put his turn signal on and switched into the turning lane. He waited for a break in the traffic before pulling up in front of the building. He found an empty parking space and looked at Natalie. He looked away and then back, hoping to catch her emotions off guard. It worked.

Keith started laughing. Just the look on her face did it. She was frowning, her eyebrows drawn together. She had a confused and worried look mix in her eyes. Her jaw was tensed. He didn't see why she was reacting like that. After all, it was a perfectly legal thing that he had in mind. At least, the last time he checked it was

"Well?" he asked, waiting for her reaction

"A car dealership? Why are we at a car dealership?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Oh, you'll see," Keith replied and got out. He poked his head through the open window when she didn't move. "Well, are you coming?" She sighed.

"Yah, I guess, since it's not like I have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice, partner. You just think you don't," Keith replied and walked towards the door. She frowned. He was one weird boy.


	2. Fifteen Minutes

Keith pushed open the door to the car dealership and motioned for Natalie to go through. He followed her, looking around at all the new cars. He was curious about hwat Natalie would do when she figured out what they were there for. He waited for a salesman to realize they were there, but also wondered through the cars. He didn't check to see if Natalie was following.

"Excuse me, but we're about to close," the salesman said as he walked up behind Keith. Keith turned.

"My friend and I would really like to drive this car, just to see if we would like to buy it," Keith replied. The salesman gave Keith a dirty look. "You don't want to lose a sale, now do you?" He held the salesman's eye steadily.

Natalie just stood there. She was still confused as to what they were doing there. Was Keith going to nag the poor salesman until they got to test drive the dumb car and then not even buy it? Yes, that seemed like, to her, something Keith would do. At least, she was pretty sure that Keith didn't have the sixty grand they were asking for. Heck, he probably didn't even have enough for the down-payment.

"Fifteen minutes," she heard the salesman say. "If it's not back in fifteen minutes, I call the cops." She looked at Keith. Had he been expecting that? She hadn't been. Keith merely nodded.

"Of course, sir. We'll be back in fifteen minutes on the dot," Keith replied and took the keys. "Come on, partner. We only have fifteen seconds, after all." She watched him climb into the drivers seat before sighing. She wasn't about ot let him do it on his own.

Natalie wordlessly looked out the window as Keith drove. He had figured the radio out and it was now playing on some rock station. She rested her head against the glass. She had to hand it to Keith, the car wasn't too bad. It had leather, heated seats, good speakers, wasn't too loud or bumby of a ride, had a GPS, and even those little DVD players. She didn't know how he did it. He just seemed to…know.

Keith glanced at Natalie. The look on her face made one believe she was trying to find a cure for cancer. Keith let out a short laugh. Natalie glanced at him. He simply wave her off. He wasn't going to tell her. What was the point? To get sympathy? No, he didn't want sympathy. He'd gotten enough whenever his mom had passed away.

"How do you do it, Keith?" she asked finally.

"Do what?" he asked, avoiding her gaze. She shrugged.

"Just…everything!" she gestured around with her hands as she spoke. "You managed to talk a grumpy salesman into letting us test drive a car we have no intent on buying."

"Just have to have the magic touch, partner," was his only reply. She nodded.

"Okay, magic touch. I'll have to add if to my book of mysteries about you."

"I have no mysteries. The answers are there if you know where to look," he replied. That was all he would tell her, he decided.

"Okay, and where would that be, exactly?" she asked, looking at him. He shrugged.

"That part you have to figure on your own."

"My own?"

"Yes, partner. People do tend to do things alone, you know? Not everyone wants to be surrounded by 'friends' and smothered by their foreign relationship partner."

"Raf doesn't smother me, Keith, and what do you know exactly about relationships?" she asked, looking at him again. Keith remained silent. "Don't judge my life if I don't judge yours."

"There's nothing in my life to judge," Keith replied grimly. She fell silent and he was thankful for the peace.

Natalie was amazed when they pulled back onto the lot at exactly fifteen minutes later. She just filed it away as another Keith moment. At least he's prompt, she thought to herself. She climbed out of the car as Keith handed the keys over to the same grumpy salesman.

"Right on time, sire, but we don't want it. You might want to check those breaks out, though. They aren't the greatest," Keith told him. "Shall we, partner?" he asked. Natalie allowed herself to smile.

"Yes, partner, I'm ready," she replied and they exited the dealership. "So, we have a yellow truck, open road, and a lot of opportunity." He smiled at her.

**A/N: SORRY IF I MESSED UP THE QUOTE! :/**


	3. You're Crazy

Disclaimer: I do not own Keith.

You're Crazy

Keith was outside bent over his truck. He straightened up, and wiped his hands off on a rag. He put the hood down and went to start the engine. He paused. Probably should have left the hood up to do that. He shrugged it off and got into the truck. He put the key into the ignition and started the engine. He sat back, satisfied, as it turned over and then came to life. It would be good for another fifty thousand miles or so, give or take a few.

He shut the engine off and got out. He threw the rag into the back of the truck. He might need it later, and headed off to the house. He pushed open the front door and was greeted by an empty house. Apparently his dad had left for work. All well, at least he had the house to himself.

He walked back to his room and dug his guitar out. He settled onto the bed, holding the guitar on his lap and playing a few chords. He paused and looked up. Across the room, tacked on the tack board, was a picture he'd snuck of Natalie the night before. Fifteen minutes to test drive a car with a cranky salesman. He smiled slightly. Crazy dreams.

He went back to playing the guitar, ignoring the phone when it rang. The phone rang again. His head snapped up. A phone. Since when did the phone work? He put his guitar aside and stood. He approached the phone in the kitchen and looked at it like it was some kind of alien device. It stopped ringing suddenly and caused him to jump. The house was silent again.

"You're crazy, Keith, that's what they keep telling you," Keith muttered. He turned away from the phone and back to his room.

* * *

Keith shut his locker the next day and slung his backpack over his shoulder. With his chemistry book in hand, he headed off to class. He nodded to Walter as he slid into his seat. Natalie turned and looked at him. He just smiled at her and glanced at the two girls sitting across from him. They looked away quickly.

"So…how was the rest of your night?" Keith asked, looking at her expectantly. She put her pen down and looked at him.

"It was good, thanks. I suppose if I don't ask how yours was, then you'll tell me anyways, right?" she asked.

"You got that right, partner. I had a lovely night, thanks for asking," he replied. She rolled her eyes and went back to writing. He peered over her shoulder.

"Can I help you?" Natalie asked, looking at him. He looked away.

"No, I suppose not," he replied. She sighed. "Unless we do something tonight. As before, it's not a date. It's strictly lab partnership. We'd...learn in the process." She stared at the paper she'd been writing on, not saying anything. "Strictly a lab partnership."

"I get it, Keith, we're just friends and everything we do is on a friendly basis," she replied, a little irritated.

"I'm just making sure. Besides, you have the lovely Raf," Keith replied. She slammed her pen down.

"Are you jealous of him or something? Everyone thinks that you're a crazy freak, Keith, and I've been trying to convince them that you aren't. You keep doing stuff on a whim like this and it's going to get a lot harder," she said under her breath. Keith wasn't fazed.

"Then why stick around, partner?" he asked. She stared at him. She'd been trying to answer the same question herself.

* * *

Natalie walked into the cafeteria and looked around. She spotted Raf, surrounded by friends, but she wasn't in the mood for socializing, really. Her conversation in chemistry with Keith had left her confused. Was Keith really crazy? Or, was he just jealous or something? She didn't understand how his mind worked. When she thought that she had just figured it out, he changed on her again and left her with another piece of the puzzle to solve.

Here eyes scanned the cafeteria and she finally found him. In the corner, by the windows, he was bent over some papers on the table. Natalie made her way through the crowd, pausing only to talk a few times. She felt Raf's eyes on her as she sat down at the table across from Keith. She wouldn't stay long, just long enough to talk. His eyes slid up to look at her and then he went back to his notes.

"We need to talk," she said in a low voice. He straightened up.

"Why are you talking so quietly? Afraid someone might spot you over here?" he asked in a normal voice. She rolled her eyes.

"Hardly. What's your deal?" she asked. He frowned. "You have no friends and yet you want to hang out with me all the time. You talk to no one else? Are you crazy?"

"That's what they tell me," Keith replied. She frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"I didn't stutter, Natalie, but I do think that you'd better go kiss your boyfriend. He's giving me the stink eye," Keith replied. She glanced at Raf, sure enough, Keith was right.

"He can wait," she replied, turning towards him. "What do you mean by 'that's what they tell me'?" He stood, gathering his things.

"Guess you'll just have to find out," he replied. She watched him retreat. She ran a hand through her hair before standing and going over to Raf. She pecked him on the lips, but couldn't stop thinking about what Keith had said.

* * *

Keith pushed open the door to that lead to the parking lot. Too close, way too close. He needed to think before he spoke. Telling Natalie would not be good. It would end up being disastrous. He needed to lay low for a few days, maybe that would help. He just had to watch what he said, think before he spoke.

He threw his bag into his truck and dug his keys out. He didn't really care about leaving school early without anyone knowing. People kind of just acted like everything was okay with him. That was alright with him. The more they pretended to be oblivious, the more crap he could get away with. He climbed in and started the engine, driving away from the school.

Open road helped him sort through his thoughts. He needed to figure out what he was going to do. Natalie was getting too close to figure him out. He couldn't let that happen. She had everything going for her, a boyfriend, scholarship, tennis, good grades, friends, everything that Keith didn't have. He didn't want to drag her down with him. Whenever he…died or whatever, he didn't want to take any more people than needed. His dad was bad enough. He wouldn't upset anyone else.


End file.
